2012 Hidden Ridge 55% Slope Cabernet Sauvignon

Hidden Ridge was established in 1990 when the husband-and-wife team of Lynn Hofacket and Casidy Ward purchased 164 acres of rugged wilderness in Sonoma County, between Mount Hood and Diamond Mountain. The couple originally planned to clear the land build a home, but they became interested in grape growing and eventually decided to make wine. Over the course of the 1990s they cleared the land and planted Cabernet Sauvignon. Their debut release was a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon made by Marco DiGiulio. Hidden Ridge’s vineyards are at elevations of 1200 to 1700 feet above sea level, and some are on slopes with 55 percent grade, extremely steep for vineyards. The limited production wine has won acclaim from reviewers. The winemaker today is Timothy Milos. Robert Parker wrote that Hidden Ridge wines “are clearly world-class Cabernet Sauvignons and should be considered by any serious collector for their cellars.” The wines are generally available only through a mailing list.

Napa Valley AVA is the most famous winemaking region in the United States and one of the most prestigious in the world. With nearly 43,000 acres of vineyards and more than 300 wineries, it is the heart of fine wine production in the United States. Winemaking started in Napa in 1838 when George C. Yount planted grapes and began producing wine commercially. Other winemaking pioneers followed in the late 19th century, including the founders of Charles Krug, Schramsberg, Inglenook and Beaulieu Vineyards. An infestation of phylloxera, an insect that attacks vine roots, and the onset of Prohibition nearly wiped out the nascent Napa wine industry in the early 20th century. But by the late 1950s and early 1960s Robert Mondavi and other visionaries were producing quality wines easily distinguishable from the mass-produced jug wines made in California’s Central Valley. Napa Valley’s AVA was established in 1983, and today there are 16 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley AVA. Many grapes grow well in Napa’s Mediterranean climate, but the region is best known for Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay is also very successfully cultivated, and about 30% of the AVA’s acreage is planted to white grapes, with the majority of those grapes being Chardonnay,

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.